Date:13/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/13/stories/2007031301152200.htm

International

Ants test non-violence credo of Buddhist monks

KUALA LUMPUR: Buddhist monks bound by faith in non-violence are grappling with how to rid a Malaysian temple of a severe ant infestation without killing the insects, a devotee said on Monday.

Stinging red ants have plagued the Hong Hock See Temple in northern Penang State for a year. One worshipper was bitten so badly last month that he had to receive hospital treatment, said a volunteer worker.

A disciple tried using a vacuum cleaner to gather up the ants before freeing them in a nearby forest, but the method failed to purge them. — AP